Ghanaian Universities Response to Global University Rankings: Sometimes We Compare Apples to Oranges

Global university rankings (GURs) capture the attention of university leaders, board members, and the public.A Dialogue on Asian Universities [1] webcast reinforced how university presidents employ GURs to benchmark their institutions' achievement of strategic objectives.GURs have influenced higher education policy and geopolitical discussions since their emergence in 2003 [2].Ranking schemes have become tools for students, parents, institutional leaders, and governments [3].Although GURs attracted the attention of higher education scholars who explore their impacts on students [4] and HEIs, researchers criticized these rankings for their omission of institutions from non-First World nations and an over-emphasis on research.These omissions have been addressed with more regional rankings [5], [6], [7], [8].The objective of our study was to assess how GURs are used by HEIs in the Global South.We employed a bounded, qualitative case study to explore the strategic and tactical responses of four public universities in Ghana towards GURs.Although acceptance of GURs varied by university, each reacted to GURs by adopting strategies and tactics to improve their rankings, (inter)national status, and support.Our findings showed that Ghana's public universities' institutional leaders used GURs as tools to engage in change processes in their universities.